Jenson Button believes frustrated Max Verstappen putting on a happy face at Red Bull Racing

Rumors regarding Verstappen's future are refusing to go away as the Dutchman finds himself in an uncompetitive RB22 that keeps trying to kill him with a malfunctioning rear wing.

The situation between Verstappen and Red Bull Racing continues to unravel as the team continues to lose talent to rivals, with their Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan the latest staff member to be on his way out and heading to Cadillac with the official announcement pending.

With many faces now gone, Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, and Gianpiero Lambiase also leaving after his current contract, nothing remains from the Red Bull team Verstappen has grown up within and won Championships and races with.

Button was keen to point out that aspect when speaking to Sky Sports' The F1 Show; he said: "I think that Max at Red Bull sounds really frustrated at the moment.

"He puts a happy face on a lot of the time, but I think he's very frustrated with the situation. A lot of people that he's worked with for many years and won championships with have left and gone elsewhere.

"It must be very strange; it must feel kind of a bit lonely in that team for him. Everyone's brand new around him, so I think he'll be looking elsewhere, I really do, for next year," the Briton explained.

As for Verstappen's future options, and with recent reports linking him to McLaren, Button has another option in mind.

He said: "If I were his management, the team I'd want to put him in is Mercedes, obviously, alongside Kimi or alongside George, whichever one they choose to move on.

"You've got to be ruthless; you've got to be selfish in his position because he's a lot further into his career," Button concluded.